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Patricia Blair

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Patricia Blair
Blair in 1970
Born
Patsy Lou Blake

(1933-01-15)January 15, 1933
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 9, 2013(2013-09-09) (aged 80)
North Wildwood, New Jersey, U.S.
Other namesPatricia Blake
Pat Blake
Occupation(s)Film, television actress
Years active1955–79
Known for
Spouse
Martin S. Colbert
​
​
(m. 1965; div. 1993)​

Patricia Blair (born Patsy Lou Blake; January 15, 1933 – September 9, 2013) was an American television and film actress, primarily on 1950s and 1960s television. She is best known as Rebecca Boone in all six seasons of Daniel Boone, and appeared in 22 episodes of The Rifleman.[1][2]

Biography

Patsy Lou Blake was born in Fort Worth, Texas and grew up further east in Dallas. She became a teenage model through the Conover Agency. While acting in summer stock, Warner Bros. studios discovered her and she began acting in films under the names Patricia Blake and Pat Blake. In the late 1950s she appeared as the second female lead in several films for Warner Bros. and later for MGM.[1] Her first movie was Jump Into Hell (1955), about the famous 1954 decisive Battle of Dien Bien Phu in French Indochina (Vietnam) of the colonial French Army versus the Viet Minh (Vietnamese communists) guerrilla insurgents. .[3]

She had a recurring role as Goldy, one of Madame Francine's hostesses, on the 1958 TV series Yancy Derringer. In 1962-1963 she starred as hotel operator Lou Mallory in The Rifleman, replacing actress Joan Taylor who portrayed general store owner Milly Scott (1960-1962) as North Fork, New Mexico Territory rancher Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors)'s love interest on that series later seasons. She also made a guest appearance in 1963 on Perry Mason as murderer Nicolai Wright in "The Case of the Badgered Brother". She made guest appearances as well on several other television serie of the decade, such as The Bob Cummings Show; Rescue 8; Gunsmoke; Richard Diamond, Private Detective; The Virginian; and Bonanza.

Blair had considered moving to New York City in 1964 until screenwriter Gordon Chase helped her get a role on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC-TV network) new colonial 18th century era Western series Daniel Boone (1964-1970). She played wife Rebecca Boone, opposite Fess Parker for six seasons, with Darby Hinton as son Israel Boone and future multi - Primetime Emmy Award nominee Veronica Cartwright as daughter Jemima Boone. Blair became concerned that her TV daughter, played by Cartwright, made her appear aged and she refused to sign a contract for season three unless Cartwright was dropped from the show.[citation needed] After the Boone series ended in 1970, her career struggled in that subsequent decade and she appeared in only a few minor films and television spots. Her last appearance in a feature film was in 1979, portraying a fashion narrator in The Electric Horseman starring Robert Redford. In her later years she produced trade shows in New York and New Jersey.

On February 14, 1965, the 32-year-old Blair married 42-year-old[4] land developer Martin S. Colbert in Los Angeles, California. The couple divorced in 1993. Colbert died in 1994.

Death

Blair died at her home in North Wildwood, New Jersey, aged 80, from breast cancer.[1]

Selected filmography

Film

Television

References

  1. ^ a b c Slotnik, Daniel E. (2013-09-30). "Patricia Blair Dies at 80; Starred in Television's 'Daniel Boone'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  2. ^ "Patricia Blair - "The Rifleman"". Riflemanconnors.com. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  3. ^ "Patricia Blair Obituary | Patricia Blair Funeral". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  4. ^ "Patricia Blair - The Private Life and Times of Patricia Blair". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
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